Archive for the 'Transport' Category

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes An Bord Pleanála decision to grant Harbour Cat Ferries planning permission in Passage West and Monkstown

Published May 20, 2009 Amenity , Cork Harbour , Crosshaven , Marine , Monkstown , Passage West , Transport Leave a Comment

20th May 2009

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for the Carrigaline area of Cork County Council, has welcomed An Bord Pleanála’s decision to grant planning permission for Harbour Cat Ferries for their landing stations at Passage West and Monkstown.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “It is great news for the harbour communities that Harbour Cat Ferries has now got planning permission for its landing stations at Passage West and Monkstown. I hope that the service can get up and running soon, following their previous planning permissions for their landing stations at Cobh, Crosshaven and in the City at Horgan’s Quay. While some concerns have been expressed by members of the community about the proposed service, I think it will prove to be a very valuable service to the community. Passage West Rowing Club had expressed particular concerns, in the fear that they will lose the part of the river in which they row to the jetty for the ferry. I am sure that with proper consultation, any issues can be satisfactorily resolved. An Bord Pleanála’s inspector has recommended that a river usage management plan be put in place, and that would be a very welcome development.”

Cllr. Donnelly continued: “I first put down a motion to Passage West Town Council seeking a waterbus service such as this about four years ago. However none of the statutory bodies wished to pursue it, and it fell to a private operator to get the service up and running. It will prove to be vitally important in the future to have a variety of transport options available, as cars will become more and more expensive to run due to the rising price of oil as it starts to run out. Hopefully this will be the start of Cork Harbour’s road to achieving its potential as the national centre for heritage, tourism and culture it should be.”

Cllr. Donnelly says the people of Cork Harbour will never allow the incinerators to be built

Published May 15, 2009 Amenity , Cork Harbour , Cork Swansea Ferry , Environment , Heritage , Incineration , Marine , Monkstown , Passage West , Ringaskiddy , Transport , Waste Leave a Comment

15th May 2009

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, addressed the An Bord Pleanála oral hearing into the Ringaskiddy incinerators yesterday.  The hearing has now adjourned for the next three weeks.

After the hearing, Cllr. Donnelly, who is a member of the CHASE steering committee, said:  “In my presentation to the An Bord Pleanála inspector I focused on three main areas.  The first of these was that the direction of development in Cork Harbour has changed, away from being a purely industrial zone to becoming a centre for tourism, culture and amenity.  With the closure of the steelworks and the IFI fertilizer factory, Cork Harbour now has the chance to reach its potential as a premium waterfront destination.  The Cork Area Strategic Plan calls Cork Harbour ‘Europe’s most exciting waterfront’, and while it certainly has the potential to achieve that, it has not yet done so.  However with plans to open up Spike Island to visitors, existing planning permissions for marinas at Monkstown and Passage West, the return next year of the Cork Swansea ferry service, and with ongoing efforts to have Cork City and Harbour achieve UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the impetus for development has clearly changed.  The building of a huge obtrusive incinerator in the middle of all of this, would surely scupper any chance of Cork Harbour achieving the global recognition it should have.  Sydney Harbour has its iconic Opera House, Cork Harbour would have a monstrous incinerator.”

Cllr. Donnelly continued:  “I also discussed how my Green Party colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, has made clear statements as to how national waste policy is changing.  Given that five years ago the incinerator was granted planning permission solely on the basis that it was Government policy, it is crucial that the inspector and the board understand that Government policy is shifting.  While the full review of waste policy is still underway, and won’t be ready until the Autumn, the Minister has made many clear indications that the policy has shifted away from incineration.  For example he recently indicated that there will be a doubling of the landfill levies later this year, with the introduction of a similar incineration levy, with the express intent of making it less economically viable to landfill or burn our waste, and to encourage waste minimisation, recycling and reuse.”

“I finished my presentation by focusing on how there is absolutely no community acceptance for the incinerators in the communities around the harbour, and beyond into the wider Cork community.  These communities have fought the incinerators for eight years already unbowed, and will continue to fight for as long as it takes.  I told the inspector that it would save our communities a lot of future grief is she refused this planning application now, but that the communities would never allow the incinerators to be built, whatever that takes,” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.

The full text of Cllr. Donnelly’s oral presentation to An Bord Pleanála is available at:  http://dominickdonnelly.com/links/dominicks-oral-submission-to-indaver-oral-hearing/

Cllr. Donnelly calls for directly elected mayor for County Cork

Published May 13, 2009 Local Elections , Local Government , National Issues , Transport Leave a Comment

13 May 2009

Cork County Council should follow Dublin’s lead and elect a powerful mayor

Green Party county council candidate and former Mayor of Passage West, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly has said that people in County Cork would benefit from a powerful directly elected mayor with powers to direct transport, planning and other local services.

Following the announcement by Minister for Local Government John Gormley that Dubliners will be voting for a mayor with a range of new powers next summer, Cllr. Donnelly said: “Our county deserves a mayor with real powers, elected by the people – and answerable to them. We would benefit from an elected mayor that could better steer policies to create jobs and improve local services in our area.  I hope that Dublin is just a starting point for powerful mayors and I encourage people to support my campaign for a directly elected mayor for County Cork.”

“The green paper on local government reform, published by Minister Gormley last April, was in favour of directly elected mayors in cities and counties. It also recommended that the democratic policy making function of local government would be strengthened by giving important powers of initiation – budgets, development plans etc, to the mayor.  I hope that the forthcoming white paper which is due to be published soon will support this recommendation and I ask people to give me their support so I can convince John Gormley that County Cork needs a directly elected mayor,” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.

Links:

More details on Minister Gormley’s announcement can be found at: http://www.greenparty.ie/en/news/latest_news/elected_mayor_for_dublin_next_summer

The government’s green paper on local government reform can be accessed at: http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/LocalGovernmentReform/

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes announcement of new weekly bus service from Passage West to Carrigaline, under the Rural Transport Scheme

Published May 11, 2009 Carrigaline , Monkstown , Older People , Passage West , Ringaskiddy , Transport Leave a Comment

11th May 2009

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, has welcomed the announcement by South and East Cork Area Development (SECAD) of a new weekly bus service from Passage West to Carrigaline, via Monkstown and Ringaskiddy, under the Rural Transport Scheme.

Cllr. Donnelly, who is a director of SECAD, said: “This new bus service, which will run on a Friday and which will start in mid-June, is wonderful news for the communities of Passage West, Monkstown, Ringaskiddy, Shanbally and Carrigaline.  The Rural Transport Scheme is primarily aimed at older members of the community, and it will be wonderful for them to be able to access Carrigaline, even if it is only once a week.  All of the new services which SECAD have started under the Rural Transport Scheme over the past year or so have been successful, with increasing numbers availing of the service, and I have no doubt that the Passage West to Carrigaline service will be just as successful.”

“I first put a motion before Passage West Town Council on the issue of starting a bus service between Passage West and Carrigaline about four years ago, and there was a follow up meeting between the town council and Joe Fitzgerald of Bus Eireann on this issue, but in the intervening years we have heard nothing back from Bus Eireann.  It is ludicrous that there is no public transport service linking the communities of Passage West, Monkstown and Ringaskiddy with Carrigaline.  This has caused major problems for the communities over the years, and has led to a very high level of car dependency in the area, which is simply not sustainable into the future.  I do hope that this new service will show to Bus Eireann that there is a demand for such a service, and that they will finally establish a full daily service along this route,” concluded Cllr. Donnelly.

Cllr. Donnelly expresses regret that Cork Swansea ferry service will not resume until 2010

Published May 6, 2009 Cork Harbour , Cork Swansea Ferry , Economy , Marine , Ringaskiddy , Transport Leave a Comment

6th May 2009

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for Cork County Council, has expressed regret that the new Cork to Swansea ferry service, which has been backed by a Cork based co-operative, will not now start its service until 2010.

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, who is an investor in the co-operative backing the ferry, said:  “It is a great pity that the operators were not able to get this service up and running this year.  However they were always going to be up against the wire time-wise, and the delays in sorting out the purchase of the ferry Julia in Finland have made it impossible to get up and running in time for the main season this year.  I wish to congratulate all of those who have put in enormous work to try to get this going this year, and we must all now be patient, and wait till next year to see this vital service up and running.”

“With the airline industry in an inevitable long slow decline due to climate change and rising oil prices, it is vital that our ferry and shipping links are developed.  We are an island, and shipping will be absolutely essential for trade and tourism in the years and decades to come.  Those behind the resumption of the Cork Swansea ferry service will be seen to be visionaries in the future.  It is the only form of international transport which the planet can sustain,” Cllr. Donnelly concluded.

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes the Government’s setting up of an Inter-Departmental Marine Co-ordinating Group

Published May 2, 2009 Cork Harbour , Cork Swansea Ferry , Economy , Marine , Ringaskiddy , Transport Leave a Comment

2nd May 2009

The Green Party’s candidate for the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork County Council and for Passage West Town Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, has welcomed the announcement by the Minister of State with special responsibility for forestry, fisheries and the marine, Tony Killeen, that the Government has set up a high-level Inter-Departmental Marine Co-ordinating Group.

“As a public representative alongside the second largest natural harbour in the world, Cork Harbour, I welcome this initiative from the Government. It shows that the Government are taking maritime matters seriously. As an island nation, we have not always given maritime matters the attention we should have, but the sea is one of our greatest assets, and we are completely dependent on shipping for a huge proportion of our international trade,” Cllr. Donnelly said.

“With the twin problems of climate change and peak oil signalling the inevitable demise of air travel over the next couple of decades, we will once again have to look more to the sea for most, if not all, of our international trade and travel. Also much or our energy will be coming from the sea in the near future, with the technology for both wave and tidal power developing apace, as well as off-shore wind power. In Cork Harbour we have the prospect of the Marine and Energy Research Cluster (MERC) developing in Ringaskiddy, alongside the National Maritime College of Ireland, as well as the resumption of a ferry service between Cork and Swansea during the summer (Fastnet Line). Maritime matters will be even more central to our economic wellbeing in the future, and it is important that the Government take maritime issues seriously now to plan for that future,” Cllr. Donnelly concluded.

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes imminent return of ferry service between Cork and Swansea

Published April 15, 2009 Cork Harbour , Cork Swansea Ferry , Economy , Marine , Transport Leave a Comment

9th April 2009

Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork County Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly has welcomed the return of a ferry service between Cork and Swansea later in the year.

Cllr. Donnelly, who is an investor in the new co-operative set up to get the service going again, said: “This is wonderful news for the whole Cork region, and is a great example of people power at work.  Everyone who came together and made this campaign a success is to be congratulated.  I look forward to travelling with the Fastnetline, as the new company is now called, later in the year.”

“In years to come I am sure this ferry service will prove to be an essential part of the infrastructure for the Cork region, and beyond into the rest of Munster.  With the airline industry heading in to an inevitable long term decline due the shortage and increasing price of aviation fuel, as well as serious concerns about its effect on global warming, there will be a substantial increase in the use of ferries for international travel in the years ahead.  Cork, and the business and tourism sectors of the region, are now poised to reap the benefits of the reinstatement of this ferry service to the UK,” continued Cllr. Donnelly. 

Ban Noisy Car Exhausts via NCT Test, says Cllr. Donnelly

Published April 15, 2009 National Issues , Noise , Transport 1 Comment

27th March 09

Green Party calls for ban on noisy cars with modified exhausts.

Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party member of Passage West Town Council and candidate for the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork County Council, has welcomed proposals by the Road Safety Authority to tackle noise pollution from cars with modified exhausts.

Cllr. Donnelly said: “I’ve have been contacted by many residents suffering sleepless nights because of boy racers in noisy cars on residential roads in the early hours of the morning. Residents have to endure the loud grating sound of roaring exhausts while the dangerous drivers make donut rings on the roads.”

Fitting modified exhausts and silencer equipment is now illegal and the new NCT test is proposed to check car exhaust noise levels in order to ensure acceptable noise levels are not exceeded.

Under proposals released by the Road Safety Authority, a suggestion has been put forward to check car exhaust noise levels during the NCT. The RSA states: The nuisance caused by excessive noise from vehicle exhausts is regularly the subject of complaints received by the RSA. A new test is proposed at NCT whereby sound levels will be checked in order to ensure acceptable sound levels are not exceeded.

Cllr. Donnelly welcomes progress on Swansea Cork ferry

Published April 15, 2009 Cork Harbour , Cork Swansea Ferry , Marine , Transport Leave a Comment

19th March 2009

In advance of a delegation from Finland arriving in Cork on Friday to discuss the sale of the ship Julia to the Swansea Cork ferry co-operative, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly, the Green Party candidate for the Carrigaline electoral area of Cork County Council and Passage West Town Council said:  “It is wonderful news that a delegation are coming from Finland to discuss the sale of this ship, and we hope these negotiations are successful.  As an investor in the co-operative set up to reinstate this essential ferry service, may I congratulate the efforts of all those involved, as the €3 million target has just about been reached.  I would encourage anyone who has not yet invested in this initiative to do so, if they are in a position to do so.”

Reduction in timetable for Cross River Ferry bad for harbour communities, says Cllr. Donnelly

Published April 15, 2009 Cork Harbour , Marine , Monkstown , Passage West , Transport Leave a Comment

5th March 2009

Following the introduction of a reduced timetable on the Cross River Ferry between Glenbrook and Carrigaloe earlier this week, Green Party candidate for the Carrigaline area of Cork County Council and Passage West Town Council, Cllr. Dominick Donnelly said:  “This reduction in the timetable of the Cross River Ferry is disastrous for the communities around the harbour.  The Cross River Ferry is a vital piece of local infrastructure which joins the communities on both sides of the harbour, and helps them work together.  The fact that the last ferry now runs at about 10 pm, whereas previously the last ferry went at about midnight, will cause all sorts of problems for a large number of people and organisations around the harbour.  The alternative to using the ferry to get across the lower harbour is a round trip via the Jack Lynch Tunnel of over ten miles.  I call on the owners of the Cross River Ferry to reverse this decision to reduce the timetable.”

Cllr. Donnelly continued:  “This reduced service will make it very difficult for people living on one side of the harbour to participate in evening social events on the other side of the harbour.  It will also make it very difficult for organisations with representation from both sides of the harbour to hold evening meetings.  I am involved in two such organisations, the Cork Harbour Environmental Protection Association (CHEPA) and Cork Harbour for A Safe Environment (CHASE), and having to have all meetings finished in time for people to get the last ferry at 10 pm will prove difficult, if not impossible.  This does not auger well for cross harbour cohesion, which has been a growing strength in the harbour.  This decision simply must be reversed.”

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Photos of Dominick

Dominick Donnelly and Dan Boyle unveiling Dominick's anti-incineration poster at Shannonpark roundabout, Carrigaline

Dominick's anti-incineration poster

Dominick with his three sons, Theo, Noah and Tate

Dominick with Green Party Deputy Leader Mary White in Douglas Court SC

Cork South Central Local Election candidates with Mary White in Douglas Court SC

More Photos
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